West Asia Courtesy: takver/WikimediaCommons
3 December 2012

Prioritizing West Asia

India is tied to West Asia by economic, religious and political threads. The ongoing social and political flux in the region can have adverse consequences for India and requires a serious rethink of its foreign policy priorities. How can India insert itself usefully into this geopolitical cauldron?

26,11 four years later Courtesy: Swami Stream/Flickr
27 November 2012

Mumbai, after 26/11

Four years after the 26/11 terrorist attacks, Mumbai remains almost as vulnerable. The city is losing its expansiveness, while terrorism drives a wedge between the Hindu and Muslim communities in bindaas Mumbai. Are India’s secular traditions strong enough to emerge from such assaults with its integrity assured?

salman khurshid Courtesy: ramesh_lalwani/Flickr
30 October 2012

Salman Khurshid: Internal tasks for external impact

India’s Foreign Minister, Salman Khurshid, faces various internal challenges in his new External Affairs portfolio – an understaffed diplomatic corps and increasingly assertive regional politicians. Will Khurshid have enough time to make significant foreign policy changes, given the upcoming elections in 2014?

afghanistan route 606 Courtesy: Isafmedia/Flickr
25 October 2012

Afghanistan: Strategic depth to strategic peace

As the NATO troops prepare to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, India is already positioned to take on a larger, pro-active role, which can radically alter the balance of power in South Asia. However, what will determine the future of security in the region, is how India and Afghanistan deal with Pakistan.

siachen pic Courtesy: Guilhem Vellut/WikimediaCommons
16 October 2012

Siachen: To hold or to fold?

There have been many discussions on the need to de-militarise the Siachen Glacier. Why have India and Pakistan suddenly begun to believe that they were mistaken in holding on to the region all this while? What are the possible ramifications of de-militarising this strategic location?

green africa Courtesy: trendscout::/Flickr
4 October 2012

A Green Agenda for Africa

All the major economic forces in the world have come together in Africa in a new version of the Great Game. The competition for the continent’s resources will ultimately harm Africa unless Africa uses this opportunity to its advantage and to address its own serious problems.